You May Stay
by Eamarat
Summary: Takes place six months after Daughters of Darkness. Ash and Mary-Lynnette.


**Hey everyone. Ok. I know in the book he said he'd be coming back a year later but I'm making it six months . . . so hah!**

Six months had passed since Mary-Lynette had sent Ash Redfern away to make up for his mistakes.

Six months worth of lonely, star-filled nights; wishing someone was there looking up at them with you.

Wishing it was him.

Six months of roaming the cities; hoping this next good deed would be good enough.

Good enough for her.

***

**Mary Lynnette**

I packed my gear up again. I was heading out to look at the stars, because with a night this clear, who would be crazy enough to pass this up?

I slip on my jacket since it was still slightly nippy at night. My reflection passes by my mirror and I look at myself.

I don't look the same. Not like I did six months ago.

I smile then frown: It doesn't feel like it used to. Not as . . . happy. It's just a motion now; an acknowledgement to something Mark says.

I look at my eyes; they seem to have lost the ability to show any emotion. I blink and open them wider. I can still see the loneliness, though. No one else notices but I do. I always notice the things that have changed in the last six months.

I look away from my reflection and grab the rest of my gear.

It was going to be a long night.

***

**Ash**

I wish I wasn't here. I wish I didn't have to do this.

But I am here. I have to do this.

For her. Everything I do is for her.

I sigh. God, I miss her. I'd do anything to have her in my arms.

That's why I have to do this.

I walked down the street slowly; stopping to stare at my reflection in a small puddle.

I don't look like myself. I haven't _felt_ like myself since I met her.

My eyes look tired and lonely. They've never been like that. I've been noticing the things that have changed in the months since I first met her.

My comebacks were halfhearted and I just didn't care.

A car driving by threw some gravel into the puddle, disrupting my reflection.

I walked on.

It was going to be a long night.

***

**Mary-Lynnette**

The sky is the clearest I've seen in a while. The stars shine like tiny diamonds and the dark blue sky glows like a shaded lantern.

A chilly breeze blows from the North causing me to shiver in my jacket.

_Don't you wish he was here; holding you; warming you?_ My mind whispered traitorously.

_Shut up._ I shot back.

I took my IPod out of my bag, put the Buds in my ears, and turned up the volume.

I sat back as a soft song came on. I sang along, ruining the quietness of the night for anyone else but I was enjoying myself immensely.

I tried to keep my head filled with music: meaningless nonsense. At least it kept him out of my head.

But try as I might, he always crept in, like the sneaky little snake he is . . . was.

_It feels like forever. I wonder how he's doing._ I wondered.

"Where are you, Ash?" I whispered to the stars.

A shooting star streaked across the sky; leaving an almost silver cord in its wake.

A lone tear slid down my cheek slowly.

***

**Ash**

Is this enough? Have I done enough?

I keep asking myself those questions as I roam the dark, quiet street.

I looked up as I saw a shooting star falling across the sky, creating a silver cord- like illusion as it passed.

I slipped on my dark glasses as tears threatened to fall.

_How are you, M'Lyn? Do you miss me like I miss you?_ I asked the stars silently.

I swiped a tear as it slid down my cheek.

"I just want to come back to you, M'Lyn." I said under my breath.

***

_**A week and a half later**_

**Mary-Lynnette**

I was alone in the house and moping around when I heard a knock on the front door.

I walked over and opened it. It was Jade.

"Is Mark here?" She asked sweetly.

"No, sorry. He had to go to some sign up thing for school." I replied.

"Oh. Okay. Why are you so sad, Mary-Lynette?" She asked abruptly.

"Huh? I'm not sad." I lied halfheartedly.

Jade nodded. "You are. Is it because of my brother?" She persisted.

I gave in. "Yeas, it is, Jade. I miss him."

Jade smiled. "He'll be back soon." She said confidently.

"How do you know that?"

"I can feel it . . ." She tapped her chest, close to her heart. "In here."

***

**Ash**

I slammed my hand into the nearest wall.

I don't know why I did it; it was a spontaneous thing. My mind went, "Oh, look, a cement wall. Let me put my hand through it."

I sighed. It hurt for a moment but was already healing up.

I'm going crazy without holding her.

All I seem to do now is roam the streets.

_Mess of Me _came on several blocks down and I let the words run through my veins.

"_I am my own affliction._

_I am my own disease._

_There ain't no drug that they can sell;_

_No, there ain't no drug to make me well._

_There ain't no drug._

_There ain't no drug; there ain't no drug._

_It's not enough._

_The sickness is myself!_

_I've made a mess of me; _

_I wanna get back the rest of me;_

_I've made a mess of me;_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life alive._

_I've made a mess of me;_

_I wanna get back the rest of me;_

_I've made a mess of me._

_I wanna spend the rest of my live; _

_The rest of my life alive."_

I kicked some loose gravel and sighed.

_I just want to go home_.

I sighed, that seemed to be all I did nowadays, and made up my mind.

***

**Mary-Lynnette**

_I'll give him two weeks, _I thought as I packed up for another trip to look at the stars.

_If he's not back by then, I'll find him and drag him home by the ear. _She laughed at this mental picture.

She shoved everything into her bag and raced outside; eager to be gazing at the stars.

I got to my usual spot and set all my things down.

I sat down on the soft grass and tilted my head back. I smiled at all the stars; they were like long lost relatives that have been discovered. And that feeling never got old.

***

**Third Person POV**

Ash pulled up to her house and got out. He was antsy and could barely contain himself.

He rushed to the door and knocked.

Mark opened the door and his expression quickly turned to shock.

"Ash? What are-?"

Ash interrupted. "Where is Mary-Lynnette?"

"Looking at the stars. Hey, what are you-?" Mark stopped and sighed.

He was already gone.

***

Mary-Lynnette was lying on the grass; humming softly to herself.

_I miss my Ash, _she thought depressingly.

_Crack! Woosh! Thud!_ She jumped as she heard something crack and then fall to the ground with a thud.

She put a hand to her thumping heart and took a deep breath.

"Calm_ down. _It was just a_ tree." _She said to herself.

The hair on her arm stood on end and she knew she wasn't alone.

***

_M'Lyn_, he thought, _my beautiful M'Lyn_.

He, blind with love, took a step, and pushed down a small tree.

_Damnit_, he thought as a _crack, woosh, _and _thud _resounded through the trees.

He took another step and saw her tense up. She knew someone was there with her.

"Mary-Lynnette . . ." He started to comfort her but stop when she turned her eyes to him.

"Mary-Lynnette . . ." He breathed out but this time it had a different meaning.

"Ash." She whispered. She scrambled to get up but Ash already had her in his arms.

Mary-Lynnette buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist.

After a minute he pulled back. "Does this mean I can come home?"

She looked puzzled. "Home?"

"My home is wherever you are." He explained.

She smiled and squeezed him.

"I love you, Ash."

"I love you too." He bent down and kissed her with all the passion he could muster.

When they needed air she pulled back and looked into his eyes. They were silvery and full of love.

"My lady?" He whispered.

"Yes?"

"I've slain the dragons like I promised. May I stay?"

"Yes, you may stay."

**Okay, that's it. It's a one-shot because I don't really know where to go with it.**

**. . . And I think that's it. **

_**~Eamarat**_


End file.
